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The End is the Beginning (episode)
Completely unaware of her special nature, Soji continues her work and captures the attention of the Borg cube research project's executive director. After rehashing past events with a reluctant Raffi, Picard seeks others willing to join his search for Bruce Maddox, including pilot and former Starfleet officer Cristóbal Rios. Summary Prologue Outside Starfleet Headquarters, Jean-Luc Picard meets with his XO, Raffi Musiker, after the synth attack on Mars, where they discuss the ramifications of the attack. Musiker is optimistic that the evacuation plan for the Romulans can still be achieved if Starfleet were to create a new fleet of mothballed starships and reserve duty officers, alongside synthetic labor; however, Picard informs her that effective immediately, synthetic lifeforms have been banned throughout the Federation, that any existing synthetics are being dismantled, and that any further research into synths has been halted. Musiker does not buy the explanation that the attack was the result of a fatal code error, and suspects the Tal Shiar of sabotaging the synths, though Picard is skeptical that the Romulans would attack a fleet designed specifically to assist them. Musiker remains eager to help the Romulans evacuate from the impending supernova, but Picard seems distraught. Asking about his distress, Picard informs her that the Federation has halted any further plans to lend assistance to the Romulans, and that many of them never wanted to assist the Romulans at all. Picard tells Musiker that he gave Starfleet a choice: to accept the revised Romulan evacuation plan, or to accept his resignation. Starfleet accepted his resignation, much to Picard's shock. Musiker remains adamant about acting, unwilling to accept that this is the end of their efforts, but Picard admits that he has run out of ideas for further action, and that he believes that mounting a multi-world evacuation of tens of millions of Romulans without Starfleet's support would not be possible. Musiker insists that she cannot move forward without Picard's help, when the CNC summons her. Realizing that she is about to lose her commission with Starfleet, she scolds Picard for giving up, and angrily leaves him, ignoring his calls to her. Act One At , Picard and Musiker talk about the two synthetics and discuss the plan to find Bruce Maddox. Musiker seems noticeably uninterested and scolds him again, saying he has some nerve to come there, and that she had already heard of his plan from Fleet Admiral Clancy, and she sarcastically gives him advice not to tell the CNC of Starfleet about his unauthorized mission to find Maddox. She mentions the FNN interview which Picard dubs an "unmitigated disaster", and rants about him living in a chateau while she's living in a hovel. She mentions that since his resignation and her dismissal from Starfleet, the past fourteen years have been one big humiliation and rage, plus some snakeleaf-induced paranoia. She continues her grievance by suggesting it would have been nice to hear from him for a reason other than finding a pilot for his mission, such as just checking in on her, because she was not doing well at all. She begins to break down in tears when she tells him that she lost her security clearance, but she is unable to finish. She springs off her chair with the bottle of and leaves, warning Picard not to touch her. All Picard can do is watch, but he immediately gets up and calls out her name. On the , a now fully liberated Hugh is watching Soji Asha speak to the nameless unconscious Borg in its native tongue. Intrigued, he pays Asha a visit, and commemorates her for her work, and for speaking to the unconscious "xB" in his language. Asha replies that it was Hugh that taught her that even in an unconscious state, that such words can be soothing to an individual. Hugh informs Asha that he’s granted her an interview with an xB by the name of Ramdha, and admits that after seeing her behavior earlier, it helped influence his decision, though he is curious as to why Asha is interested in interviewing Ramdha. Asha asks what Hugh knows about Ramdha prior to her assimilation into the Borg Collective, and asks if he has read her Romulan dossier. Hugh tells her he has not, before realizing that Asha has. He asks her how she managed that, and she replies that she merely asked to see it, noting that when she asks, people are happy to help her. Hugh replies it is usually the opposite for him, especially with Romulans. Asha says that Ramdha was an expert in ancient Romulan mythology, and notes that she wrote about evidence for a therapeutic utility of a shared mythical framework. Intrigued, Hugh grants permission for a thirty minute interview with Ramdha. Back on Earth, Picard catches up with Musiker, and tells her that he understands her anger towards him. He admits that he disappointed her, neglected her, and wasn’t there for her when he should have been and apologizes for it. She only replies that she doesn’t care. However, when Picard once more brings up that there are indeed Tal Shiar operatives on Earth, and that they could not be there without some complicity from the Federation, she finally listens to what he has to say. Picard remembers that Musiker had always suspected the connections between the Romulans and Federation, but she says that those suspicions were only of the Mars attack. She elaborates that she doesn’t just assume such connections, but that she has concrete evidence that a high-ranking Starfleet official willfully allowed the attack to happen on Mars, and end the rescue mission. Picard remains skeptical that the Romulans would sabotage their own rescue, to which Musiker simply replies that is exactly what happens with a cover-up: they conceal their reasons. Picard responds that he wants her help because she is good at seeing the things that other people are unable to see in this manner. However, Musiker refuses, and says she will not get herself involved in this sort of thing with Picard again. Before Picard can try to convince her otherwise, she demands him to leave. As Picard begins to walk away, she looks back to him and says that she knows a pilot she will have contact him. Picard thanks her, before leaving. At the Daystrom Institute on Okinawa, Dr. Agnes Jurati is enjoying a picnic, and listening to Kasseelian opera through some ear buds, before she turns around to see Commodore Oh, wearing shades, waiting for her to see her. She introduces herself as the director of Starfleet Security, and tells her she’d like to speak to her in regards to her recent visits with Picard. Act Two On the Artifact, Hugh and Asha are walking to the unit where Ramdha is being held. Hugh approaches a Romulan guard outside the unit, and informs him that Asha will be meeting with Ramdha. The guard says that she needs authorization, but Hugh replies that as his unit is operated but the Reclamation Project, he has granted the authority, as the project’s executive director. The guard grants them access without further protest, and follows Hugh and Asha into the unit which is full of Romulan xBs, all of which are busying themselves with certain simple tasks. Asking about it, Asha is told by Hugh that these are the only known Romulans to have ever been assimilated into the Borg Collective. They spot Ramdha at a nearby table, laying out a peculiar set of cards in a certain fashion. They approach her, and Asha greets Ramdha, who merely looks at them, before returning to her cards without a word. Back on Earth, at her home, Musiker is sitting outside, looking at a particular file on a tablet, when she gets a call from Picard. Although she hesitates, she answers, and asks what he wants. He correctly guesses that she is researching what they spoke about earlier, though she denies it. He then sends her everything that the Daystrom Institute has on Bruce Maddox, before leaving her to continue with her work. In orbit of Earth, La Sirena beams Picard onboard into an empty transporter room. A few moments later, the ship's Emergency Medical Hologram greets Picard, and leads him to the ship's captain, Cristóbal Rios. Rios is smoking, and has a large piece of tritanium shrapnel embedded in his shoulder, which the EMH begins to treat as he and Picard introduce themselves to one another. Rios offers Picard a drink, which Picard politely declines, before telling Picard to sit anywhere. Rios asks Picard about where they will be going, since Musiker informed him that Picard wasn't sure of their destination. Picard only responds that he's working on it, and that he will want to leave as soon as possible. Asking if there will be any illegal activity, Picard only responds that he doesn't know, but that he isn't in the habit of consulting lawyers before doing what needs to be done. The EMH successfully removes the shrapnel from Rios' shoulder, but is deactivated by Rios before he allows the EMH to patch his wound. Picard delves a bit more into Rios and his Starfleet history, in which Rios was a former executive officer aboard a cruiser called the ibn Majid – a ship that has since been stricken from Starfleet records. Picard notices a distinct bitterness from Rios in his attitude towards Starfleet, and tells Rios of his own falling out with Starfleet. Picard also notes the impeccable shape that La Sirena is in, and that Rios has maintained and stowed everything in accordance with Starfleet protocol. Despite not knowing what happened with Rios in his past with Starfleet, or his old ship, Picard believes that Rios is still Starfleet to his core, to which Rios responds that is only his tragic sense of life. He also asks Picard to hire him or someone else, but to stay out of his head. Meanwhile, Musiker has indeed continued to research Bruce Maddox's location, and after a considerable amount of research, traces some quantum fingerprinting connected to Maddox originating on Freecloud. Back on La Sirena, the ship’s Emergency Navigational Hologram informs Rios that the ship's navigation sensors are back at their maximum range, before inquiring about Rios and his encounter with Picard. The ENH begins to list off the achievements and commemorations that Picard had earned in his Starfleet career, and tells Rios that Picard is a good man, and that it's been a long time since Rios has served with someone like him. Rios only laments that he does not need another grand heroic captain to work alongside of, especially since the last time he had such a captain, he was killed, and that the death of this captain still haunts him. Back at Château Picard, Picard and Laris stand outside, where Picard is reminiscing the familiar scents of the harvest season. Laris asks if he will miss it, to which Picard says that he will miss her, Zhaban, and , but that despite trying his best to belong at the château, that he never truly felt at home. Laris only responds that she supposes that Picard always kept one eye on the stars. Act Three Hugh and Asha continue to watch Ramdha arrange her cards on the table, and discern the meanings of certain symbols shown on each card. Asha sees a symbol for a door, which Hugh clarifies as meaning "shaipouin," or "false door," fitting with traditional Romulan houses, which feature a false front door which is never used. Asha then sits behind Ramdha and asks for entry to Ramdha in Romulan. Ramdha doesn't take her eyes from the cards, and continues to lay them out, but finally invites Asha to join her at the table. Back at Château Picard, Zhaban is giving Picard the last of his supplies, when the household is suddenly attacked by the Zhat Vash. Immediately taking cover, the Romulan assassins make their way into the house, and are fought by Laris, Zhaban, and Picard. Laris and Zhaban are successful in defending Picard as they fight the intruders off, successfully stunning many agents. After seemingly dispatching with every assassin, and making sure everyone is alright, another assassin charges into the house, only to be killed by Dr. Jurati, who seems mortified by the entire scene. Picard settles her down and comforts her as Laris and Zhaban restrain one of the unconscious assassins for interrogation. Jurati tells Picard of her conversation with Commodore Oh, and how Oh had inquired about why Picard had come to visit her at the institute. She reveals that she told Oh why he had come to her, and that she felt it was important to tell Oh the truth. Jurati tells Picard that she did not tell Oh one thing. Before she can say what this is however, the assassin that Laris and Zhaban have restrained awakens, and Picard goes to question him. Picard asks the assassin why the Tal Shiar are on Earth, and if he himself is of the Zhat Vash, and promises that if he answers the questions, Picard will have him released. The assassin is silent, and Zhaban remains skeptical that an interrogation will be successful. Picard asks why the Zhat Vash killed Dahj Asha, to which the assassin only responds by saying that Dahj was not a girl. Picard asks for help in understanding everything that's happening, and the assassin says that she is not what Picard thinks she is, and that he will not find her before the Zhat Vash do. He calls the other sister the end of all; the Destroyer, before he bites down on a capsule and spits acid on Zhaban. While Zhaban is successful in quickly taking off his coat before the acid can hurt him, the assassin disintegrates before he can say another word. On the Artifact, Asha begins her interview with Ramdha, though she seemingly gains little progress in speaking to Ramdha. Hugh tells her that Ramdha is known for having both good days and bad days. Asha asks about Ramdha's cards, which she calls pixmit, asking if Ramdha tells fortunes with them like a mandala. She asks if each symbol has a certain connection to Romulan mythology, however at the word, Ramdha expresses disliking of the term, and refers to the cards as the news. The concept intrigues Asha, who shows huge interest in the idea that she is able to express her trauma in such a manner that is rooted in deep archetypes, but still relevant. Asha expresses that she hopes to succeed in a similar fashion with her own work. At this, Ramdha gazes at Asha, visibly disturbed, and says that she knows her, and that she remembers Asha from tomorrow. Asha is confused by what she means, and asks her what she was doing. Asha tells Ramdha that she was on board the Shaenor, the last vessel the Artifact assimilated (when it was a part of the Borg Collective, shortly before the cube's submatrix collapse). Hugh seems confused as to how Asha would know this information. Asha asks Ramdha if she knows what happened, but Ramdha completely ignores the question, instead focusing on another of her cards. Ramdha asks Asha which sister she is, the one who dies, or lives. Ramdha then grabs the disruptor of a nearby guard, and aims it at Asha, fearfully saying she knows who she is, identifying Asha as "Seb-Cheneb", the Destroyer. Ramdha then aims the disruptor at her own head, but before she can fire, Asha rushes to her side and disarms her. Hugh immediately calms Ramdha, and settles the situation, while the other Romulan xB's in the room eye Asha in a fearful manner, much to her confusion. Act Four Distressed at the scene that had just occurred, Asha calls her mother and asks if Dahj is alright, to which her mother responds that Dahj is fine. While her mother talks about what Dahj is up to, Soji seemingly becomes exhausted and falls unconscious while her mother continues to speak. Later, she is awakened by Narek, who has come to her quarters after hearing what had happened. Asking about it, Asha expresses confusion as before the interview; she didn't recall ever hearing about the Shaenor, or knowing that Ramdha had been on board the ship. She merely attributes this to the fact that she must have learned of the fact through one of the many unclassified documents about the Artifact. When she asks Narek if he believes her, he whispers in her ear that he believes he's falling in love with her, before they embrace each other. Leaving Asha's quarters, Narek meets with Narissa Rizzo in a hall, taking him by surprise. Rizzo is no longer undercover, and can smell that Asha has been very close with Narek, calling the scent carnal. She asks Narek what Asha has told him, to which Narek tells her that he’s been told nothing, and that while he's unsure, he believes Asha has no idea of what she truly is, and after the incident on Earth, he believes it’s best that she remain unsure of what she is. Rizzo realizes that the incident on Earth was a miscalculation, which is why she lets Narek continue with his own approach, but warns him to watch his feelings with Asha, before leaving him. Back at Château Picard, Dr. Jurati informs Picard that the one thing she didn’t tell Commodore Oh was that she would be joining Picard in his search for Dahj's sister. Picard then gets a call from Rios earlier than he expected. Rios tells him that his sources have told him that this mission is about to get hot, to which Picard says that it's already hot. Jurati makes her case to join, that she sees Dahj and her sister as a miracle that she needs to see for herself, and promises to earn her keep. Convinced, Picard and Jurati beam to La Sirena. Aboard the ship, Picard is shocked to see Musiker on board as well, and realizes that she was the source that Rios had spoken of. Musiker tells Picard that she's found Maddox, and tells Picard on the promise that he takes her with him to Freecloud. Picard at first is happy to have her join them, but Musiker clarifies that she's not joining him, and that once they reach Freecloud, she will separate from them. Jurati asks Musiker why she wants to go to Freecloud, and Musiker treats Jurati with suspicion, and scolds Picard for letting her join when she wasn't able to run any security background checks on her. Picard asks why Musiker wants to go to Freecloud, and she refuses to answer. Rios simply asks if they can get underway, and they all take their positions. Picard smiles and gives his familiar "Engage" command, and La Sirena heads to Freecloud at warp speed. Memorable quotes "Mars is burning, tens of thousands are dead, and nobody is thinking, nobody is listening, they're just reacting!" "Wait a minute. What happened in there, JL?" "They said that our plan was 'unfeasible'. Half of them never wanted to rescue the Romulans in the first place, and the rest are… are just frightened. I never dreamed that Starfleet would give in to intolerance and fear." :- Picard and Raffi "The CNC wants to see me. That's great. That's great. You tender your resignation, and my ass gets fired." :- Raffi, to Picard "My entire life for the past 14 years has just been one long slide into humiliation, and rage… also a fair amount of snakeleaf-induced paranoia, so some things never change." :- Raffi "There is no more despised people in the galaxy than the xBs. People either see us as property to be exploited, or as a hazard to be warehoused. Our hosts, the Romulans, have a far more expansive vision. They see us as both." :- Hugh "What?" "You're doing the research, aren't you?" "No." "I'm sending you everything that Daystrom had on Bruce Maddox." "I don't want it." "Carry on." :- Raffi and Picard "I'm not in the habit of consulting lawyers before I do what needs to be done." :- Picard, to Rios "You were the XO of a heavy cruiser?" "The ''ibn Majid. You never heard of it because it doesn't exist. Starfleet erased it from the records." "''Do I detect a certain bitterness towards Starfleet? You must know that Starfleet and I long since have parted ways." "If you say so. I really don't give a damn." "Oh really? I see this ship is impeccably maintained, every bolt, and clasp, and fitting in place. Everything stowed in regulation Starfleet order. I don't know what happened to you, Rios, or the ''ibn Majid, but five minutes on this ship, and I know precisely what I'm looking at. You are Starfleet to the core. I can smell it on you." "''That's just my tragic sense of life. Raffi warned me you were a speechmaker." :- Picard and Rios "So, are we excited? Intimidated? Maybe a teensy bit starstruck? Jean-Luc Picard: Chief contact with the Q Continuum. Arbiter of Succession for the Klingon Empire. Savior of Earth from Borg invasion. Captain of the ''Enterprises -D and -E. The man even worked alongside the great Spock." :- 'La Sirena s Emergency Navigational Hologram', to Rios "''I tried my best to belong to this place, but I don't think I ever truly felt at home here." :- Picard, on his château "Do the images have connection to Romulan mythology?" " Mythology'? I hate that word. In Romulan, we have no such word." "What's a better word? Scriptures? Sacred stories? Legendarium?" "The news." :- Soji and Ramdha "Engage!" :- Picard, to Rios Background information Story and script * The sunglasses worn by Commodore Oh were established in the script of this episode as an homage to actress . Cast and characters * Santiago Cabrera makes his first appearances as La Sirena's EMH, Cristóbal Rios, and the ENH, and is first featured in the opening credits. This is the first time that a series regular makes his debut appearance as a hologram since Robert Picardo first appeared in . * Jonathan Del Arco reprises his role as Hugh. He last portrayed Hugh in . * Evan Evagora is not credited as a main cast member and does not appear in this episode. Production * Vasquez Rocks is first established as such on screen, following on from its brief appearance in the previous episode, . The shooting location has appeared in many previous Star Trek installments, depicting alien landscapes. Reception and aftermath * Continuity * This episode establishes that Jean-Luc Picard resigned his Starfleet commission in 2385, shortly after the attack on Mars. While it was implied in that his resignation was largely in protest over Starfleet's decision to abandon evacuation efforts in the Romulan Star Empire, this episode reveals that Picard actually used his resignation to bargain with Starfleet Command over the continuation of his mission. He apparently miscalculated Starfleet's willingness to let him go. * Raffi Musiker states that the impending supernova of the Romulan sun threatens "billions of people out there in the Beta Quadrant." This appears to confirm that Romulan territory is located in the Beta Quadrant, not the Alpha Quadrant as often previously implied. The location of Romulus as a Beta Quadrant world originates from reference works, such as Star Trek: Star Charts. * The attack on Mars is officially attributed to programming errors in the androids used at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. Picard and Musiker voice their continued doubts over this explanation, assuming a manipulation of the androids through a third party. * Laris calls one of the Romulan attackers a "stubborn northerner", comparing him to Zhaban. It is implied that the clear distinction is possible due to their ridged foreheads, offering an explanation for the different looking Romulans seen throughout various Star Trek productions. * Hugh is the director of the Borg Reclamation Project and it is established that the Romulan Reclamation Site is hosted by Romulans, but not under their sole direction. This offers an explanation for various non-Romulan species seen among the workers and researchers, such as humans and Andorians. * As an xB himself, Hugh has comprehensive experience with Borg vessels which are disconnected from the Borg Collective hive mind. He himself had been severed from the hive mind when his scout ship crashed in 2368, as seen in . By 2369 he became the leader of other disconnected Borg after the vessel he was then on was severed from the Collective as well, some of them later following Lore in a scheme to establish a rule of synthetic beings in the galaxy, as shown in . * The state of the disconnected Borg on the is substantially different from previously observed Borg which were freed from the Collective, such as seen in "I Borg", , , , , and . While most of these Borg were portrayed as confused and disoriented, none were in a state as dysfunctional and broken as the Borg which appear in this episode. Soji Asha implies in her questioning that this might be a consequence of the assimilation of the Shaenor, the last vessel which the Cube encountered before its submatrix collapse. * Hugh thinks that the Romulan drones in the Reclamation Center are the only members of their species to be assimilated. However, at least one other Romulan drone, Orum, was encountered in the Delta Quadrant in 2373 in the episode . In 2375, Seven of Nine also assumed the personality of a Romulan drone, when a malfunctioning vinculum caused her to experience the personalities of other assimilated individuals in the episode . Although Hugh may be mistaken about previous assimilations of Romulans, his remarks indicate that Romulans have been assimilated less often than citizens of the Federation. This may also indicate that the Borg did not assimilate a significant number of Romulans when they destroyed outposts near the Romulan Neutral Zone in 2364, as referenced in and . * The appearance of the EMH and ENH aboard La Sirena mark the first depiction of emergency holograms since . Their appearance raises the question whether sentient holograms are excluded from the Federation-wide ban on synthetics. * The ENH aboard La Sirena introduces Picard with several honorifics which are callbacks to his previous adventures. He specifically mentions: ** "Chief contact with the Q Continuum" as a reference to Picard's continued experiences with the Q, beginning in all the way to the series finale of , . ** "Arbiter of Succession for the Klingon Empire" is a title bestowed upon Picard in . ** "Savior of Earth from Borg invasion" likely refers to the events of . ** "Captain of the Enterprises -D and -E" refers to his command of and , the respective flagships of the Federation. ** "The man even worked alongside the great Spock" hearkens back to his collaboration with Spock in . * Picard's plan relied on the inventories of Eridani A and Beta Antar. These presumably refer to the 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards and Beta Antares Ship Yards. Previously, their existence had only been established on the dedication plaques of starships launched from there, such as the and . * Agnes Jurati listens to Kasseelian opera, music also enjoyed by Hugh Culber and Paul Stamets in the 23rd century. * Commodore Oh is established to be the head of security of Starfleet. * Oh is shown wearing sunglasses, perhaps only as a fashion accessory. It was previously established by T'Pol in that Vulcans don't need eye protection due to the existence of an inner eyelid. Links and references Starring * Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard * Alison Pill as Dr. Agnes Jurati * Isa Briones as Soji Asha * Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker * Santiago Cabrera as Cristóbal Rios / EMH / ENH ;And * Harry Treadaway as Narek Guest starring * Jonathan Del Arco as Hugh * Peyton List as Narissa Rizzo * Jamie McShane as Zhaban * Tamlyn Tomita as Commodore Oh * Rebecca Wisocky as Ramdha * Orla Brady as Laris * Sumalee Montano as Dahj's Mother * Graham Shiels as a Tal Shiar Operative Co-starring * Son of Lee as a Guard References 2380s; 2385; 2389; Eridani A; A500; Abyssus; aguardiente; aircar; angel; anthropologist; Arbiter of Succession; ; Arnaud; ; baguette; Beta Antares; Beta Quadrant; blues; Borg; Borg Collective; Borg drone; Borg Reclamation Project; bread; burst radius; bulkhead; captain (rank); censor; Château Picard (location); (wine); Chief of Starfleet Security; cigar; ; colorful metaphor; commander in chief (CNC); commodore; conspiracy; cricket; crypto algorithm; Daystrom Institute; dermal regenerator; ; disordered; doctor; dossier; drone (technology); Emergency Medical Holographic program; Emergency Navigational Hologram; ; ; executive director; first officer (XO); Freecloud; ghost; Gorn Egg; Gradient badge; grape; hay; heavy cruiser; house; horgl; hovel; ; ''ibn Majid'' captain; inventory; Kasseelian opera; Klingon Empire; ; lawyer; legendarium; liar; lighter; madame; ; mandala; Mars; mobile home; mythology; Nameless; northerner; Number One (dog); oak; Okinawa; operating system; paranoia; pilot; pisco; pixmit; plum; Portrait of Charles Meryon; puppy; Q Continuum; quantum fingerprinting; resignation; road; Roquefort; Romulan; Romulan disruptor; Romulan language; Romulan mythology; San Francisco; Saurian brandy; scout ship; scripture; Seb-Cheneb; security clearance; Shaenor; shaipouin; Shri Yantra; Sir Neville Wilkinson on the Steps of the Palladian Bridge at Wilton House; ; smoking; snakeleaf; Spock; Starfleet; Starfleet Headquarters; Starfleet Security; Starfleet uniform (2380s); stun setting; submatrix collapse; supernova; synth ship; Tal Shiar; Tanaka; tattoo; terrine d'oie; ; tritanium; ; Vulcan; Women in an Interior; xB; Zhat Vash External links * * |next= }} End is the Beginning, The